Convertible touring-car.



L. B. MOULTON.

CONVERTIBLE TOURING CAR.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. \0. 1914.

Patented July 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

amueuto'r. Aim/mm,

L. B. MOUL TON.

CONVERTIBLE-TOURING CAR. i

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10. 1914.

1 ,1 89,990. Y Patented July 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET- 2.

mgm

Lnsmn is. MOULTON, or DAIRY, onneou.

' convnn'rrnm TOURING-can.

: Specification of Letters Ya'tent.

Patented-July 4., 1916.

Application filed November 10, 1914. Serial No. 871,345.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEsLm-B.-MoU-LTN, a citizen of theUnited State's,residing at Dairy, in the county of Klamath and State of Oregon, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Convertible Touring-Car's;

of which the following is a specification;

This invention relates to a convertible touring car, the object inviewbeing to provide simple and easily manipulated means whereby the back ofthe front seat of a touring car may be thrown backwardly into the planeof the rear seat cushion so as to provide a bed or lounge for theoccupants, the invention embodying novel means'for supporting the backof the front seat when so positioned as to form the bed or lounge.

With the above and other objects inview, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as hereindescribed, illustrated and claimed. In the accompanying drawings:Figural is a vertical longitudinal section through a sufiicient portionof an automobile to illustrate the application of the present inventionthereto. Fig. 2 is asimilar view showing the automobile converted intoasleeping car. Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation of the front seatback. Fig. 4 isa fragmentary section through the back showing the keeperfor the sections of the coat rail whichforms supporting legs, for theback when moved to a horizontal position. Fig; 5 is a detail crosssection on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

rReferring to the drawings A designates generally a sufficientportion'of an automobile to illustrate the nature of the presentinvention, 1 designating the floor, 2 the front seat and 3 the rearseat.

In carrying out the present invention the back 4 of the front seat 2'isdivided along zon'tally extending rod 7 which passes en tirely throughthe back 4 longitudinally of the latterand at apoint above the bottomedge of the seat back, said. hinged rod 7 passing through and beingfastened in rigid relation to the uprights 6. The rod 7 forms thecenter. of movement of the hinged section'4 of the seat back when saidback is -moved to the substantially vertical position shown in Fig. 1 orto the substantially horizontal position shown inFig. 2.

Extending vertically and centrally of the back 4 is a. center support 9which is in closed in the body of the back so as to be concealed. Thesupport 9 is in the form of a bar which extends. from a point near thetop'edge of the back 4- to a point near the bottom edge 'thereofyathehinge rod 7 pass,

ing through the support or bar 9. Parallel supports 10 arranged inspaced relation to each other extend from the floor 1 upwardly onopposite sides of and close to the support 9 and the hinge'rod 7 passesalso through said parallel supports 10. By means of the supports-9 and10, the hinge rod 7 is sup- The ordinary coat or robe rail designated-70. ported at a central point between the stagenerally at B is employedfor the purpose of supporting the seat back-when moved downwardly to theposition shown in Fig. 2. For that purpose said rail B isdivided-centrall-y into two sections 11 each of which has a-hingedconnection at 12 with the seat back' 4. The inner adjacent extremitiesof the rail sections 11 are. adapted to be moved into andout ofengagement with a supporting keeper 13 andQwhen in said position; thesections 11' are in longitudinal alinement with each other and presentthe appearance of an ordinary coat rail as now used in automobiles. aresufficiently loose to allow the free'inner ends of the rail sections 11to be moved into and out of engagementwith the kee er 13. The length ofthe rail sections 11 1s such that' when the seat back is moved to thesubstantially horizontaliposition shown in Fig.

The hinge joints 12 2, the lower extremities of said rail sections 11rest against the floor 1, thereby formlng supporting legs for the seatbacklVhen the hinged back 4 is in its normal position as shown in Fig.1, it is maintained in that position by means of a pair of catches 14arranged at. opposite ends of the seat back and one of which is shown inthe detail sectional view, Fig. 5. Each. Catch 14 is mounted in one ofthe uprights 6 so as to be concealed and is operated by means of a pushbutton 15 which is connected with the catch 14 by means of a connectingstem,

16. The catch lat is adapted to engage a keeper or shoulder17 ontheadjacent edge of the hinged back 4;.

When it is desired to convert the car from a touring car into a sleepingcar, the buttons 15 are simultaneously pressed inwardly,

thereby releasing the seat back a. The back ,4 is then swung reanwardlyand downwardly to the substantially horizontal position shown" in Fig.2,.the rail sections 11 being released from the keeper 13 at the sametime, As the seatback moves downfwardly, thesupporting legs 'formed bythe ;rail sections 11 also swing downwardly until they come inv contactwith'the floor and support'thebacke. As the upholstery 'on the back 4extends below thehingerod,

' Iit' compensates for any space which would otherwise 'be left betweenthe front seat cushions and the horizontally disposed hack 4 andtherefore a continuous cushion is pro- Vided from the edge of the frontseat to the back of the: rear seat. This forms a com-ZEQI'tflblQbGQDOILQllShiOIl for two 'or more occo ieu tm pmn m beobtained for mea er) cupants. The parts may be restored to their. normalpositions for touring purposes in a moment.

What I claim is I I A; convertible touring and. sleeping car comprisinga front seat, a rearseat, a hinged back for the front seat adapted toheswung from its normal position to a substantially horizontal positionbetween the front and v rear seat cushions, supporting means for saidseat back when 111 a'substantially honzontal position consisting of apair oi" -supporting legs having a jointed connection with the back andadapted to he brought/into alinement with each other to forn a coatrail, and a slotted keeper fastened to the hinged back and adapted toreceive and support the free ends of thelegs when in coat-supportfivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner 02 mums, Washington, i2.

